Celebrate Fingal’s Rich Heritage during National Heritage Week 2023

Get ready to celebrate Fingal’s rich heritage during National Heritage Week 2023 from August 12th-20th. There are a wide range of events taking place in Fingal including walks, talks, tours, exhibitions and more. National Heritage Week, is a nine-day celebration of Ireland’s natural, built and cultural heritage and aims to promote awareness of our heritage, thereby encouraging its conservation and preservation.

A Heritage Council programme, National Heritage Week brings together communities, families, organisations, cultural institutions, academics and enthusiasts. This year’s theme celebrates ‘Living Heritage’ the practices, knowledge and skills that have been passed from one generation to the next and are still in use today.

The Fingal programme begins early on August 10th as Mayor of Fingal Cllr Adrian Henchy launches the Fingal Heritage Network's People & Place-Then & Now photo exhibition in the Atrium, County Hall, Swords, at 6.30pm. The exhibition will continue throughout Heritage Week. Members of the Fingal Heritage Network will come together again in Malahide for Fingal heritage Night on the 16th to share short talks on their local areas.

Fingal Libraries will host a series of talks on themes including Birds of Fingal, Corr Castle, using DNA results in family history and Fingal County Archivist Karen de Lacey will give a talk tracing the history and development of St. Fintan’s Cemetery in Sutton. As part of The Fingal Historic Stone Tombs project there will be a talk in St. Margaret's Graveyard which will discuss the care and maintenance of historic stone tombs in Fingal.

There will be an opportunity to share food memories of the wider Fingal region with the launch of ‘Blas: Fingal’s Food Heritage’ by the Mayor at Newbridge House on Sunday 20th and a chance to explore the culinary past of the house with the Cobbe family Georgian era recipe book. Other events at Heritage Properties of Fingal include a talk, art exhibition and free tours of Skerries Mills and tours of Ardgillan Castle and garden. Behind the Scenes tours of Malahide Castle will be available while music lovers can enjoy a session in Swords Castle.

If you want to get active and go out and explore Fingal’s Heritage there are plenty of options with heritage walks taking place in Malahide, Swords, Portmarnock, Clonsilla & Royal Canal. On Monday 14th two new digital heritage trails of Castleknock and Balbriggan will also be launched.

Mayor of Fingal said: ‘Well done to Fingal’s Heritage Officer and all those involved in organising the fantastic range of events and projects taking place across Fingal exploring all aspects of our heritage during Heritage Week. Whether it is attending a talk or exhibition or doing a tour or a walk I would encourage people of all ages and backgrounds to get involved in celebrating their heritage during the week’.

Fingal Heritage Officer Christine Baker said: ‘What we sometimes forget is that what we pass down now will be the heritage of tomorrow. Heritage is not just ‘old things’ but a living continuum that we are all part of. Luckily we can celebrate our Fingal heritage now and into the future’.

For the full programme visit www.fingal.ie/Heritageweek23 or www.heritageweek.ie

During Heritage week why not check out the Fingal Digital Heritage Projects available on https://www.fingal.ie/digital-heritage-projects

See Drumanagh Heritage from Above Video below